Blount steps in, leads rushing attack for Ducks

EUGENE -- It was a moment LeGarrette Blount had played in his mind, over and over.

Since signing with Oregon in February, Blount had imagined what it would feel like to cross the goal line at Autzen Stadium and hear the roar of the crowd.

On the second play of the second quarter Saturday, Blount's vision became reality.

Bruce Ely/The OregonianLeGarrette Blount scores in the second quarter.

The 6-foot-2, 240-pound junior college transfer took the handoff from Justin Roper and raced down the right side of the field. With each large stride, Blount's separated himself from Utah State defenders and eventually reached the end zone for a 36-yard touchdown run.

"When I saw the hole, I just got downfield as fast as I can," Blount said. "Oh man, it was wonderful. I loved it. I couldn't imagine nothing better. Right about now, I'm feeling like I'm on top of the world."

Blount had 18 carries for a game-high 132 yards rushing and two touchdowns in the Ducks' 66-24 win over the Aggies at Autzen Stadium. He added a 1-yard touchdown later in the second quarter.

The only downside for Blount was the reason for his extended playing time: starting running back Jeremiah Johnson left the game in the first quarter with a right shoulder injury.

Johnson, who had 124 yards rushing in Oregon's 44-10 win over Washington a week earlier, had one carry for 37 yards Saturday before being shut down. Johnson injured himself on his lone carry, when his shoulder popped out while delivering his renowned stiff arm on a defender.

"It didn't hurt me at all," Johnson said. "Right when they popped it back in, I thought I could go back in. I'll be at practice on Monday. I could have played the rest of the game."

Instead, Johnson was relegated to the sideline, where he watched the rest of the game with a sling over his right dislocated shoulder. Oregon coach Mike Bellotti said the team won't know the full extent of Johnson's injury "for a while," but he added that the trainers had informed him that Johnson likely will be available to play next Saturday at Purdue.

Blount, who has become close with Johnson, was concerned for his friend in the moments after Johnson's injury. But the Perry, Fla., native also knew that this was his chance to shine.

"He was in a lot of pain," Blount said of Johnson. "I didn't really get to talk to him when he came out. I just had to go in and do what I had to do."

What Blount did was live up to the hype that began during Oregon's spring football season in April, when Blount's powerful running style made him the star of scrimmages and practices.

With that hype came national media attention and, according to Blount, some doubters.

"I feel like this is my chance to prove to everybody that I could play and that I'm not overrated," he said. "I've heard that a few times. But it doesn't bother me at all. They just think I'm big and there's no power or speed behind me. It's just talk, basically."

Blount, who only had four carries for 21 yards against Washington, was told by Oregon coaches during the week to be prepared for extended playing time against Utah State. And now that he has this experience behind him, he can't wait for his next chance.

"I'm feeling better and better with the offense," Blount said. "I just had to get the jitterbugs out. Now I'm getting in the feel of the game, the speed and the physicalness. It's really good now. The game is slowing down a lot. It slowed down last week and it's slowing down even more this week. It's getting really smooth for me."

Blount made it look so easy Saturday that even his own teammates didn't know how well he did.